A Kree Understanding
by Det. Jim Bradshaw
Summary: Set before the movie: The Daughters of Thanos are relinquished to Ronan as prizes- rewards. And what happens between he and they is as understood as the bond between Master and Slave... and Betrayed versus Betrayer. After all, all is fair in love and war...


_Disclaimer_: I do not benefit from this fan fiction monetarily in any way.

_Time Period_: takes place before the movie.

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_They were gifts from Thanos_. The two women stood before him, their lean bodies honed and agile, silhouetted in the fragile white light. Their stares pierced him with what he assumed was their evaluation of their new master.

Light blue was Nebula's skin. Verdant green was Gamora's.

As the shield doors slid closed and darkness enshrouded them, Ronan acknowledged that as Grand Accuser of the Kree, spoils that were worthy of his title had now arrived.

"Come," he said, and turned toward the elevator shaft.

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It was later on in the evening.

Trained assassins, abducted from an early age, both of them; that much he had surmised, in his brief assessment of them. He knew what Thanos was capable of, the atrocities, the death—but in this case, the lives he had saved were of import, for recognizing Gamora and Nebula's value to him had stayed Thanos' sacrificial hand.

It would be time for them to dine with him soon, and then he might get a better grasp on the talents and abilities of both Nebula and Gamora, and recognize their true value to him. He would most likely use their skills as mercenaries and allies, using their connections gained through their 'father' to further his own ambitions.

They were in their chambers now, though soon they would both be by his side, as was expected of them. In exchange for his agreed upon errand to seek the orb, the daughters were his. It would not be long before he found a link to the orb, and exploited it.

He had bathed and clothed in his usual manner. Usually he was disposed with errands sent to him via the Supreme Intelligence, but as these women—these assassins—were here now, he found himself thinking of how best to utilize them in his next battle, perhaps even against the Fantastic Four… Contemplating whether or not these women were in fact as powerful as Thanos had promised they would be was an exercise in fantasy. He would have to see them in action. He would have to test them.

The doors slid open, and in they walked.

"Master Ronan."

"Master Ronan," They echoed. Nebula's voice was a hint softer, while Gamora's possessed a steely edge complimented by her gait.

They were both… oddly beautiful.

"I thank you for arriving to dinner. It will be an honor to dine with you." He waved to the seats at the table, which had already been set with food. His seat was customarily at the head of the table. It was only naturally fitting that they would sit on either side of him.

When they sat down, and he followed suit behind them, he quite naturally enough encouraged them to eat. He was not hungry yet. He watched the daughters scoop some vegetation onto their plates, and take a few small bites.

He was accustomed to silence, therefore when it was broken, it was not by him.

"I am Gamora. As Thanos' daughter it has been my duty to serve my father's bidding."

"It will be my bidding that you will serve me, while you are in my service."

"Yes, Master." She replied. He could detect nothing except for extreme subservience and deep intelligence, though he understood that no indoctrination could undermine a wish for mutual respect.

"You may call me Ronan. " He said.

The blue one cocked her head slightly, as though she was hearing something she had not heard uttered before.

"I am Nebula. I wish to be the first to accomplish your bidding, Master Ronan."

He thought about her comment for a long moment. He stood up from the table, his heavy chair sliding back effortlessly with the power from his massive thighs.

"Then we shall battle in hand-to-hand combat." He waved to the vast expanse of ebony floor across the room.

"Sir," She said, standing up as well.

He ascended the few stairs up to the raised dais. Extending his reach, his massive iron hammer came thundering into his grasp.

Nebula understood immediately that he was leveling the playing field because her bionic limbs posed an advantage.

A wave of pure energy hit her from the hammer, causing her to stammer and fall, slamming into the wall on the opposite side of the massive room. Lithe as she was, it was easy for her to gather her bearings and somersault toward him, screaming a battle cry as her feet hit his face. He pivoted, absorbing some of her blow, while his hammer came thundering up under her. Again, she soaring upwards, but was able to use gravity to fall behind him.

As though he anticipated the move, Ronan readied himself for her refreshed assault, this time casting aside his hammer in favor of addressing each body blow she landed with a reciprocal block and punch. They were locked in combat, though as the second ticked by, she could feel her body weakening ever so slightly to Ronan's more powerful stride. Nebula had speed, agility, and grace on her side, but standing up to Ronan's obvious strength was not part of her skill set.

She backed off, firing bolts of energy from her wrists, which after a heated second, Ronan was able to deflect with his retrieved hammer. Hoping to fire enough bolts so she could blind him and catapult off the wall and to deliver a flying kick, she was distracted by a well-landed blow to her rib cage. The wind knocked out of her, she gathered her bearings as deftly as she could, and when her head came up to see what had happened, she saw Gamora standing there.

"We all fight—now." She said, and it was understood that each: Ronan, she and Gamora, would fight each other.

No sooner had Gamora uttered her words, but she was hit with a wave of energy from Ronan's hammer. Nebula almost chuckled to see her grapple with the unfamiliar sensation, as she had minutes before. Nebula took that brief moment to finish her original trajectory and kick off the wall, and deliver her signature flying kick to Ronan, who, possibly immersed in seeing Gamora's reaction, received the hit unabated in his abdomen.

That was the last hit she landed, however, as when she and Ronan again engaged in hand-to-hand combat, she found herself struggling to deflect each powerful blow and block he engaged her with. Sensing her sister's weakness, Gamora singled her out, knocking her feet out from under her.

Dazed, Nebula stared at the endlessly black ceiling before rolling safely out of danger and gathering her wits. She saw Ronan and Gamora battling, but where she herself had not been as able to withstand Ronan's beating, Gamora did a better job of jumping lithely away and landing a few blows herself. It was an exercise in masochism, however, when Ronan did land a powerful blow in her gut, and she fell to the floor, gasping for air.

"It is done." Ronan called out, signaling for the fighting to be over. He himself was impressed with the daughters. If he had been any less powerful and agile, he could have found himself more open to their attacks. As it stood, they were intelligent, quick fighters, who he understood had abated their attacks slightly for him, knowing that he was their judge and jury.

Slinging his hammer over his shoulder he then willed it to the opposite side of the room, where it remained until later necessity.

Gamora stood of her own accord. "It was an honor to fight with you, Master."

Ronan let go that she had not called him 'Ronan'.

"An honor to fight with you. And you." He said, nodding to both the sisters.

He thought he saw Gamora seem to lose color; she fainted, and he caught her.

"Pardon me, master. I have not eaten enough to sustain me…" Her sweet breath seemed to Ronan ambrosia.

Easily, and with no effort whatsoever, he picked her up.

"No, master…" She said.

"Your fighting skills would suggest otherwise." He said, noting her accomplishment.

"Please, allow me to eat at your side." She said.

He put her down gently. Nebula felt the curious prickle of jealously as she noted all of this, and came to stand next to Ronan.

"You deflected my blasts admirably, Master," She said, her voice cool, a hint of a smile on her lips.

"Your blasts were well aimed. It took effort," He said humbly. It was not in his nature to be humble, but the circumstance necessitated it.

Nebula brushed her breast against Ronan's arm, breaking her natural routine, curious to see his reaction.

She saw him pause, and watched his eyes flicker to her large, liquid black ones. He said nothing, but she knew he had registered it.

Still seemingly under the impression that Gamora needed sustenance, Ronan walked her to the table, where they all sat down and ate in silence. The food had grown cold, but the humming in the party's limbs was enough to make the food that much more enjoyable.

When they were done eating, silence reigned once again and the daughters, followed by Ronan, exited to the hallway. Ronan disappeared, and the daughters were left alone.

"Do you think he expects us to _perform_…" Nebula asked. Her sister's gaze could have sliced through her, so deprecating it was in scope.

"We were _given_ to him. Do you think we call him master for nothing?" She uttered, striding toward their quarters.

"I should expect no less," Nebula muttered sadly. After all, their lives had been cruel, sad, and frightening thus far. _What hope was there of ever stopping the cruelty?_

Ronan seemed…. Nebula hesitated to call him kind or just.

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Ronan awoke in the middle of the night to a knock at his door. When he opened the door, and saw a steward holding Nebula's arm, he waved off the steward while allowing the daughter of Thanos inside his sanctum.

"What disturbs your rest?" He asked. A brief survey of her garb revealed curves he had only supposed existed.

"What is it you expect of me, Lord?" She asked, her voice throaty.

"Your complete and undivided service in all aspects." He answered without hesitation.

After a pause, Nebula drew a finger up Ronan's arm, allowing the lingering touch to quench a portion of the fire that burned inside her.

"In all aspects? Lord?" She whispered, and then looked up at him with immeasurably dark, liquid eyes.

Ronan drew her to him, guiding her by her waist to his abdomen.

He looked down at her from his towering height. He leaned toward her, just barely touching her nose with his. Her breath seemed to catch, and her eyes blinked rapidly as she met his stare. He felt so irresistibly powerful that Nebula felt like she was just a feather, and he was the wind, guiding her effortlessly forward—toward doom or salvation, she knew not. And maybe she didn't care, either.

"Kiss me," she whispered. Ronan brushed her lips with his. At first, pressure was soft, fleeting; but after the masculine groan he released, he clutched her closer, increasing the pressure of his lips on hers until their tongues met in what seemed like a symphony of understanding. Before she knew it, they were wrapped around each other, and the outside world seemed to melt away.

"You must tell me what you want, Daughter of Thanos." He said, his voice husky with intimacy.

At first, she struggled for the words, having never been asked to utter them before.

"I—I want..." She kissed his chin, then his cheek, then his ear.

With a gentle roar, picked her up from where she stood and ascended the steps to his raised bed, where he tossed her.

"You want this?" He asked, disrobing his gossamer shirt. It dropped to the floor. Her gaze traveled over his lean, muscular torso, first to where his massive shoulders began, to his broad chest, and downward, where it descended into rippling abdomen muscles. Breathless was the only term to describe her reaction.

"Yes," she said.

When he removed the rest of his clothing and she saw him in his entirety, she moaned, "Yes, I want that too."

She reached out for him, feeling his rigid hardness.

"You want that?" He asked again.

She looked up, "Oh, yes," she practically panted. He kissed her mouth, her forehead, her cheeks, nibbled on her ears, while she stroked him, luxuriating in his soft hardness.

"You want me?" He inquired, placing himself on top of her, tearing her flimsy garment from her body.

"Ronan, you are the only thing I want." She said, and felt him kiss her as he pressed himself into her body.

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The next morning, Nebula awoke, alone in her bed. Wildly, she wondered if last night had been a dream, except she felt unfamiliar moisture between her legs, and a sweet sense that she had been conquered so completely and utterly, that all she wanted was to feel that sensation again.


End file.
